MIR ROR 10.17.2018
EVOLUTION OF THE DARTMOUTH WOMAN | 4-5
GEMS OF STEM | 6
BOYS WILL BE BOYS, ... AND SUPREME COURT JUSTICES | 7 JEE SEOB JUNG/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
2 //MIRR OR
Editors’ Note
Masculinity and Conformity at Dartmouth Christina Baris STORY
MICHAEL LIN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Gender. Some of us think about it more than others — one may happen to notice this particular aspect of one’s identity more in certain situations, such as walking home at night in the city. For some, gender identity does not factor into one’s daily, conscious decisions such as what to wear or how to act around others, but the reality is that gender is often at the forefront of many of our minds. Each day, it’s hard to not see a headline in the news on a controversy surrounding gender: the #MeToo movement, the gender-pay gap and transgender rights are all hotly argued about by a deeply divided country. These issues are important and deserve discussion, debate and action. Often, these nation-wide debates, such as whether to confirm a Supreme Court justice accused of sexual assault, pertain to topics close to home, such as sexual assault on campus. How else does gender affect our lives? This week’s Mirror takes a look into the various ways gender impacts our classrooms, social spaces and everyday interactions.
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10.17.18 VOL. CLXXV NO. 84 MIRROR EDITORS MARIE-CAPUCINE PINEAUVALENCIENNE CAROLYN ZHOU ASSOCIATE MIRROR NIKHITA HINGORANI EDITORS ELIZA JANE SCHAEFFER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ZACHARY BENJAMIN PUBLISHER HANTING GUO EXECUTIVE EDITOR AMANDA ZHOU
“You write like a boy.” Although it is a well-known fact I heard that sentence numerous that Greek life is prominent on times throughout elementary school. campus, the prevalence of maleMy classmates would often comment dominated social scenes is not always on my messy handwriting. I didn’t contemplated prior to arrival on think much of it. They were right campus, as Sam Selleck ’22 noted. about one thing: my writing wasn’t “It was not a factor that I neat. As I scrambled to translate my considered heavily before coming thoughts into words, my mind was to Dartmouth,” Selleck said. faster than my wrist, often resulting The frat ban that exists for ’22s in handwriting that mimicked at the start of fall term also limits, pseudo-cursive. to an extent, the ability for freshmen I was 7 years old and didn’t to determine and witness gender fully understand the implications relations on campus. Even with the of my classmates’ comments. frat ban, from what he’s seen, Selleck Unknowingly, my classmates were comments that the social scene is reinforcing the gender stereotype “still male dominated.” that girls were supposed to be neat H oweve r, c a m p u s g ro u p s and orderly. It was not what I wrote and organizations can provide that was important, but rather how I students with a different perspective wrote it. My words — my thoughts — on masculinity at Dartmouth. were judged based on appearance, Specifically, co-ed groups allow categorized and marginalized. As a for this spread of diverse opinions. girl, my words would be used merely According to Selleck, campus as decoration. organizations However, it is “He was very sure can give men also important the opportunity to consider what of himself, but he to speak to t h i s i m p l i e d also was able to Dartmouth about boys. women about acknowledge when This comment male dominated suggested that he wasn’t and ask for social spaces. b o y s w e r e help.” Many disorganized times, our and haphazard expectations in their writing. - JACK RONEY ’22 arise from What does p o p u l a r it mean to do culture or the something “like media. Tudor a boy”? From Muntianu ’22 a young age, said he had “no many of our actions are categorized accurate expectations” of the by gender. My male neighbor wasn’t average “Dartmouth bro.” With supposed to go to dance rehearsal this being said, Muntianu did after school — dancing was a girl’s read Rolling Stone’s 2012 article, sport. I was supposed to dot my “Confessions of an Ivy League i’s with hearts and curl the edges Frat Boy: Inside Dartmouth’s of my a’s — anything to make my Hazing Abuses,” a piece which handwriting more feminine. I grew explored accusations of hazing and up with an acute fascination for sexual assault within a Dartmouth Disney princesses and a knack for fraternity. tree-climbing. Yet, only one of those Muntianu did not use this article actions was expected of me — the as a basis to holistically judge former. Those were immutable facts masculinity at Dartmouth. of life. What authority did I have to “I didn’t buy it at all,” Muntianu question them? said. However, these examples are from Re c o g n i z i n g t h at n o t a l l my experiences during elementary reputations are indicative of the school. Surely these stereotypes are campus as a whole, Muntianu did not enforced to the same extent at not feel any pressure to appear more college. This yields the question, or less masculine before coming to what does it mean to do something Dartmouth. “like a boy” at Dartmouth? What is The groups we are affiliated masculinity at Dartmouth, and how with and the people we surround does it influence the expectations of ourselves with can influence our our male student body? perspectives on campus norms. For the Class of 2022, the Beckett Richardson ’22 notes that abrupt change from Dartmouth one’s opinion on masculinity at expectations to Dartmouth reality Dartmouth can change based who is still very recent. someone spends time with.
With various social niches that exist on campus, it may be hard to define an overarching perspective on masculinity at Dartmouth. In terms of expectations, Richardson believes that social status and sports would be positively correlated. “[I] assumed all of the popular guys would be all of the football, lacrosse and hockey players,” Richardson said. Richardson’s expectations were both validated and challenged. “I know a lot of people [who conform to expectations], but I also know some people who are pretty far away from that culture,” he said. Richardson, a member of the club baseball team, explains that most upperclassmen on the team are affiliated with Greek life, a common topic of conversation. This provides Richardson with yet another perspective on masculinity — a more “traditional, athletic” one, as he describes it. Upperclassmen are yet another source of input for our expectations. Jack Roney ’22 describes how his older cousin, a member of the Class of 2018, provided an example of masculine qualities to emulate. “He was very sure of himself, but he also was able to acknowledge when he wasn’t and ask for help,” Roney said. Roney is aware of the stereotypes that exist for individuals who identify as masculine. At his Catholic elementary school there was pressure to conform to one’s gender. “ E ve n i n f i r s t g r a d e o r kindergarten, the teachers would tell the boys not to cry ... which definitely left an impression on me,” Roney said. However, at Roney’s high school, there was “little pressure to conform to a gender norm,” which provided a better environment. The realities of masculinity at Dartmouth have yet to be fully defined, but if his cousin’s behaviors are any indication, Dartmouth’s views on conformity should resemble that of his high school. Masculinity is hard to define and constantly evolving. Expectations are estimations. Preconceived notions are often consolidated and distilled into over-simplified generalizations. Although at times it may be hard to ignore the comments that suggest that you write like a boy or cry like a girl, it is important to remember that the only way you should do something is like yourself, even at Dartmouth, especially at Dartmouth.
MIRROR //3
Gender Roles in Hook Up Culture STORY
Claire Callahan
Popularized perceptions of college life cast a narrow view of sexuality in which men hit on women at drunken frat parties, leading to one-night stands with no strings attached. How accurate is this portrayal when it comes to Dartmouth’s hookup culture, and who participates in it? Jane is a straight woman in a sorority. Her name has been changed for this article, as have the names of others interviewed. “There’s definitely some subtle pressure to join in, especially when you’re in Greek life,” Jane said. “The pressure to participate in Greek life is pretty exacerbated by students not knowing where they belong and what kind of people they want to be.” Jane observed that the more enthusiastic participants of hookup culture tend to be younger. “Once you’re a senior, your friend group has kind of settled down and you’ve kind of figured out your place on campus,” she said. “It gets a little monotonous going out all the time. It’s way more fun for me personally to just hang out with a bunch of close friends and have a really chill time.” John identifies as a gay man and is in a fraternity, despite his initial aversion to it. While he has had a positive experience, he, like Jane, recognizes the dangers of Greek life. “Based on my experience of being openly gay in high school, [Greek life] seemed to draw the type of people who made my high school life not the greatest experience ever,” he said. “But I’ve found that there are definitely places where there are people who are cognizant about the actual and potential harms of Greek systems and do their best to mitigate that.” He feels very comfortable in his Greek house because he sees it as his space, but that isn’t true of all the houses. “There are certainly spaces on campus where I would be less comfortable being with a guy,” he said. “I just have tried to avoid those spaces anyway, because I figure that if I’m not comfortable being with a guy there, there’s a reason for that, and I should avoid that space altogether.” John thinks his hesitation to openly make out with a man at a party is a mixture of his personality and his anxiety about what others would think. “I’m not a big fan of PDA regardless of the respective genders of the people engaging in it,” he said. “But as a freshman, when there wasn’t any space that was mine,
I think I would’ve been worried because there’s a part of me that would be like ‘I don’t know how people in this space feel about it.’” Despite all the talk of making decisions regarding hookups, John made it clear that he didn’t always have the option. “It’s not like there was ever a time where I was like, ‘Oh, we have the ability to be making out on the dance floor and I’m actively avoiding it,’” he said, laughing. “I think I should put that caveat in there, because it’s not like I was regularly having to push guys away from me.” In fact, John emphasized the main difference between LGBTQIA+ and straight hookups: his straight friends can go out and generally expect to go home with someone if they want to, but it’s a bit harder for John. “It’s not like I can see any guy and be like, ‘Ooh, he’s my type, let’s go and see what happens,’” he said. “Chances are, he’s going to be straight, just from a pure statistical probability perspective.” Sally, a straight woman, has engaged frequently in hookup culture largely due to her own boldness. “I was the person who had the most push and was the one calling the shots,” she reflected. “I was literally like ‘Yo, come to my room, we’re having casual sex unless you’re not into that.’” She has found that being straightforward is the best approach to hookup culture. “I don’t do really well with ambiguity,” Sally said. “I think that’s the downfall of a lot of relationships, whether they’re casual or serious. For me, it’s a lot more comfortable to know where I stand and let the other person know.” Jane is currently in a relationship, but when she was having casual sex, she never initiated. “It’s definitely expected for the guy to initiate every time,” she said. “That, of course, exacerbates gender roles in society in which the guy is supposed to be the pursuer and the girl to acquiesce.” Because of traditional gender roles, Sally enjoys initiating casual sex. “Sometimes it’s totally a really wonderful power trip, the woman being the aggressor,” she said. “You’re like, ‘I am in control,’ and when you think about hookup culture, that’s not necessarily what you think of.” She wishes men would be entirely explicit and direct. “There is no harm in asking,”
she said. “That is actually the best thing that you can do. If you verbally say, ‘Hi, do you want to save sex?’ or ‘Can I kiss you?,’ not only are you really getting a good read on whether the other person is into it, but you’re giving them a chance to say no.” Is that coming on too strong? “What would be coming on too strong is the assumption that I want to have sex with you,” she said. Like Jane’s comment, this example reflects broader gender roles. “When you look at that in the context of larger societal issues, you could kind of say that there is an implicit assumption that women will kind of always want sex,” Sally said. “By not giving a woman the chance to say no and doing all of these subtle things and seeing where it gets you ... that’s just pretty screwed up, honestly.” All three commenters felt that hookup culture encapsulated a wide range of scenarios and could lead to multiple outcomes. “The idea of hookup culture here is low commitment ... but that’s kind of contradictory,” Sally said. “I’ve had one-night stands,
one night stands that turn into three- or four-night stands … and hookups that really immediately became something that was more emotional and lasted for a while.” A lot of Dartmouth relationships were born from casual hookups, but Jane and John had relationships that began elsewhere. “We met in class and became really good friends,” Jane said. “We just hung out a lot and studied together, and friendship eventually led to more.” They casually hooked up before making it official, as did John and his ex-boyfriend. “We were different in the fact that the first time we hooked up, we had already spent some time together sober,” he said. “I think that’s not how most relationships begin. Part of that is just because the social scene, and the general culture feels like it revolves around hooking up. A lot of relationships arise out of hookups because I think there are a lot of people who participate in hookup culture but don’t prefer hookups over relationships.” It can seem like everyone only wants to have casual sex, which leads to pressure of hypersexualization.
“You would enter a space like [a Greek house] with the assumption being that there is some kind of explicit sexual orientation by you just being there,” Sally said. “That kind of leads to a lot of things that are pretty unhealthy.” It is easy to feel like everyone else is engaging in hookup culture, John said. He thinks this perceived ubiquity leads Dartmouth students to overestimate the prevalance of casual sex on Dartmouth’s campus, thereby creating pressure to conform to a norm that is not a norm. “There are many people on campus who don’t engage in hookup culture and are very proud of that fact,” John said. “There are also people who absolutely love hookups, and you shouldn’t feel ashamed of that either.” John emphasized the importance of paying attention to your instincts. “Don’t feel like you have to go hook up with someone because that’s the norm,” he said. “Don’t go to certain spaces because they have the reputation of being good places to find a hookup if you’re not comfortable in those spaces. Stay true to who you are.”
4// MIRROR
Evolution of the Ideal STORY
B e f o r e D a r t m o u t h w e n t stipulations such as “All beached coeducational in the 1970s, there whales will be harpooned,” and weren’t as many college-aged “Excess clothing will be removed.” women in the A woman’s Hanover area. endance "I think a lot of people, aatt t the Dartmouth men party needed a way and specfically a lot of depended on to find dates, women, at Dartmouth her willingness and one solution to dress in was to invite have made it here revealing young women because we've had to clothes, display to attend the h er s el f a s a meet all and exeed all annual Winter sex object and expectations." Carnival. comply with In 1923, the Regulation No. tradition of the 8: “Everyone “Snow Queens” - RUTHIE NORDHOFF '20 gets lei’d.” was born. Every B y year for 50 years, the 1990s, a panel of judges Dartmouth –– or fraternity women began brothers –– confronting would select winter carnival dates problematic beauty standards on to enter a beauty contest, crowning campus through feminist writing. the woman with the greatest "Inner Bitch" was a radical “beauty, charm and personality.” magazine that released two issues Here was an early instance in the early '90s. Issue 1 contained of Dartmouth students judging a diagram of the “Ideal Woman,” women based on appearances. replete with sassy descriptions of Although the Carnival Queens feminine beauty ideals, such as tradition ended in 1973, just “eyebrows removed, then penciled after the first class of women back in,” “damaged hair from matriculated in 1972. Female over-processing,” “waxes legs & students remained subject to arms every 3 weeks. youch!” and physical appraisals by their peers, “bulimic since age 13.” Instead now required to look “sexy” in of polished, hyper-maintained order to fit in on Dartmouth’s femininity, the writers of Inner culturally masculine campus. Bitch promoted a bold, assertive For example, in 1987, Alpha attitude and style. Chi Alpha fraternity released a Spare Rib took a more didactic flyer for their annual beach party. approach. In Volume 3, Issue 2 of “Regulations of 13 Webster Beach the newspaper, Vanessa Butnick ’95 Club” amounted to a body-shaming wrote an article titled “Fighting and objectifying dress-code, with the Mirror Image,” in which she
COURTESY OF RAUNER SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY
Winter Carnival queen of 1933, Virgina Helm, presented the winning snow sculpure trophy.
discusses her personal struggle with eating disorders and the way Dartmouth culture “pressures” women to be thin. “Dartmouth applies a very direct pressure to women, with social forces on all sides demanding rigorous attention to appearance," she wrote. "Claims of the intellectualism and general superiority of Dartmouth students were often undercut by a pervasive desire in the male community to turn their life into an extended
COURTESY OF RAUNER SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY
Winter Carnival Queens of the 1930s lined up for the annual beauty contest.
Sarah Alpert
beer commercial; it seemed their natural beauty in the media, I think sole desire was to be surrounded the ’90s emphasis on thinness still by attractive women and presented echoes through our present society. with an unlimited supply of At Dartmouth, these standards alcohol. The way to fit in on this manifest primarily in our schoolcampus was either to be one of wide preoccupation with exercise those women or to be a man.” and activity. Traci Scharf '97 also condemned Although Sydney Nguyen ’21 female beauty standards in the has not seen any “outright [bodypiece. “A thin vertical line with shaming]” at Dartmouth, Nguyen a head on acknowledges t o p, ” S ch a r f that health is a writes. “Is that "I think, also, prominent topic the shape of a freshman women can on campus. woman?” put that pressure on Tw e n t y “[There’s] y e a r s a f t e r themselves because a really big c o e d u c a t i o n , when you come to emphasis on Dartmouth health … I feel women still felt college it's natural to like there’s a like they had feel insecure, and then lot of pressure to conform to people to you want to look your for rigid beauty try and go out e x p e c t a t i o n s best to feel your best." and be fit, or simply to earn w o rk o u t t o a place on b e s k i n n y, ” campus. While - ALEX CONWAY '20 Nguyen said. men could Since fit in simply students in her due to their dance group are intelligence, particularly fit, women needed Nguyen feels to be beautiful, like she has to desirable, lose weight to sexy –– blend in. Just and in the ’90s, that meant like the female students of the being extraordinarily, and often ’90s, Nguyen feels “pressure” to unhealthily, thin. conform to a particular body ideal Fast-forward another twenty at Dartmouth. years. Do Dartmouth’s beauty On the other hand, Sarah standards of the ’80s and ’90s S o l o m o n ’ 2 1 b e l i e ve s t h a t persist today? Dartmouth students hesitate to Despite the recent plus-size judge each other based off physical model movement and embrace of appearance.
MIRROR //5
Dartmouth Woman “I don’t think there’s anyone no.” who explicitly or [knowingly] It seems that Dartmouth culture judges people based on physical sets even stricter expectations appearances,” Solomon said. “I for clothes than for physical think it’s more implicit biases, and a p p e a r a n c e s, e s p e c i a l l y fo r you can see the women. Ruthie r a m i f i c at i o n s Nordhoff ’20 "Our community is of those, but thinks that … if you were special in that I think women at to ask anyone we do value pragmaDartmouth are in particular, expected to ‘Do you judge tism a little more than “put a lot of people based other college campustime and effort on physical into how they es and other places." appearance?’ look,” whereas I think most guys can get people would - SARAH SOLOMON '21 away with say no, and I wearing casual think most clothes for most people try not occasions. to.” “ I Explicit think a lot of judgment aside, people, and Alex Conway specifically a ’20 finds lot of women, that beauty at Dartmouth, standards have made it subtly affect here because how women are perceived on we’ve had to meet all and exceed campus. all expectations. You have to be “Whether you shave your legs on top of your game, you have to or shave your armpit, you can have perfect grades, you have to totally hear people making rude go to all your meetings,” Nordhoff comments about that, and that’s a said. “You have to be presentable, personal choice. It’s just so unfair and for women that means being that women aren’t given the same the right amount of sexual and the freedom to do that,” Conway said. right amount of beautiful and the “And obviously we have the right right amount of smart, but also to do that, but it’s more the social you still drink –– but not too sloppy freedom: can you do it without fear drunk.” of social ridicule? I think for a large According to Nordhoff, women majority of women, the answer is are expected to have two different
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COURTESY OF RAUNER SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARY
The Dartmouth Winter Carnival Poster from the winter of 1970 demonstrated Dartmouth's sexualization of women.
wardrobes, one for daytime wear, your expectations of what you’re and one for going out — the wearing.” going out outfit being “specifically With social and economic skimpier or tighter-fitting.” privilege, however, also comes These expectations trace back to privilege to break the rules. Alpha Chi’s 1987 flier. Even today, Conway noted that if you belong to a perfect Dartmouth woman must a close-knit community on campus, transform from talented student to you earn “social power” that allows sexy party girl, simply by removing you to dress in ridiculous clothes, her glasses or “flair,” without and donning a fear of judgment. revealing top. "You have to be Fr e s h m e n Of course, presentable, and for women, on the Dartmouth other hand, women that means fashion also might feel more r e f l e c t s a being the right amount pressure to dress culture of of sexual and the right nicely. economic “I think, p r i v i l e g e . amount of beautiful also, freshmen W h e n s h e and the right amount women can put arrived in that pressure Hanover her of smart, but also you o n the m s el ve s freshman year, still drink — but not because when you Nordhoff come to college too sloppy drunk." was shocked it’s natural to at how well, feel insecure, and and h o w - RUTHIE NORDHOFF '20 then you want to ex p e n s i ve l y, look your best to m a n y feel your best,” Dartmouth Conway said. students Although the dressed. rules governing “At home, what women if someone can or cannot had a North wear may seem Face, that’s crazy rich … And here, I burdensome, Dartmouth also didn’t even know there were jackets leaves room for different kinds of that cost more than a hundred and self-expression. fifty dollars, and people just wear “Our community is special in them around and leave them on the that I think we do value pragmatism ground,” Nordhoff said. “That’s a little more than other college a lot to see, and definitely affects campuses and other places, like
how Patagonia is one of the top brands, or Canada Goose. It’s good outdoors clothing, not necessarily just name-brand fashion,” Solomon said. Conway also finds that trends like “Enginearings,” laser-cut wooden earrings designed by Thayer graduate student Morgan McGonagle, reflect Dartmouth students’ alternative senses of style. “It seems cliché to say that Dartmouth has a crunchier style, but you will see a lot of people walking around in Patagonia shorts and hiking boots … If you were wearing those things at Alabama, you might get some funny looks, like, ‘What does she think she’s doing, going on a hike?’ Whereas here, that’s a totally real possibility,” Conway said. “It’s almost like we have more functional clothing opportunities simply because of the adventure at our fingertips.” Dartmouth culture is far from perfect, and women and other marginalized groups still face undue pressure to look and dress certain ways in order to fit in. On a positive note, however, we now define beauty in terms of fitness, rather than promoting unhealthy body images, and our fashion trends reflect relatively practical ideals. We’ve come a long way since the overt judgments of Winter Carnival beauty contests, but we still have many miles to go before Dartmouth is truly accepting of all identities and appearances.
6 //MIR ROR
The Gems of STEM STORY
Nikhita Hingorani
Last winter, I took a biology up her computer science problem class with a lab counterpart that set in the library before heading out was entirely dissection-based. to attend evening meetings for her Though the subject matter of the sorority — it has instead become class was extremely fascinating, the norm. In 2016, Dartmouth with every incision and extraction made history by becoming the I performed, I realized that I did first national research university not have the passion necessary to to achieve, and even exceed, continue the infamous pre-med gender parity in the number of track that I, like many of my engineering degrees awarded. peers, entered college intending This is remarkable considering to pursue. that Dartmouth was one of the last That biology class has been Ivy League institutions to admit impactful to me in more ways women. Sixty-one out of the 117 than one, and many things have degrees belonged to women that stuck with me since taking it: how year, and the numbers have not blood flows from the heart to the fallen much since. body, the various types of muscle Emma Doherty ’21 is joining contractions and, perhaps most the ranks of female engineering interestingly, a comment that students at Dartmouth. She is my graduate student teaching currently taking Engineering assistant made to my small, all- Sciences 21, “Introduction to girl lab table one evening. While Engineering,” which is one of the sanitizing our scalpels and trays, common core courses required for we all got into conversation, and the major. As a project-based class, he told us that he was impressed ENGS 21 is known for being an with how “meticulous” we all were engaging and interactive exposure with our various dissections. He to the field of engineering and its mentioned how he noticed that techniques, for both majors and the women in our lab session were non-majors alike. a lot more “detail-oriented” than “It’s a great introductory course our male counterparts, which was a because it guides you through the characteristic he deemed necessary process of designing and productto not only continue with medicine, building, while also exposing you to but to have a successful future as a lot of different parts of Thayer,” a whole. Doherty said. “We start out with Though I have left the world of need finding, and then once that science, technology, engineering need has been established, we go and mathematics for the seemingly from conceptualization to actual more gendered discipline of design and testing, to an advanced economics (which is made up prototype in the span of 10 weeks by far too many “econ-bros,” if — it’s amazing.” I may add), my TA’s comments Lindsey Beaudoin ’21 is also still resonate with me to this day, majoring in engineering and was especially when I see the increasing quick to realize the need to start presence of females in STEM on early in planning her degree. campus. If women are so adept “I want to get a [Bachelor at the skills necessary for these of Engineering], so I’ve had to fields, as per spend a lot of the stereotype time figuring out “With STEM, the of us being wh i ch c o u r s e s able to pay discrimination is more I’m going to attention to inherent — it’s almost take and when detail and I’m going to handle tasks like built into the take them,” she w i t h c a r e , system.” said. “I’ve been why has there meeting with my even been a advisor regularly disparity in - CATHERINE SLAUGHTER since freshman the first place? ’21 fall.” T h e Beaudoin noted gender gap in that engineering STEM majors students have to is closing in take a multitude at Dartmouth, evidenced by the of math and physics courses to degree breakdowns of the Class of fulfill the requirements for the 2018. Out of the 1,145 Bachelor of Bachelor of Engineering, which Arts given out last year, 30 percent are some classes at Dartmouth that were under the sciences division. can have a noticeable gender gap. 12 percent were given to women “It’s not like a shocking deficit and 18 percent to men. that you realize immediately as It is not uncommon to see a you enter the classroom, but I have female student on campus finishing noticed that some of the classes
I’ve taken, especially physics, have been slightly more male-heavy,” Beaudoin said. “But by now, I don’t really think too much about it.” Catherine Slaughter ’21, who is a physics major, advises female students who plan on taking physics and other lab-based courses to “find a good lab partner — someone who will treat you like you’re equal.” She knew she wanted to be a physics major going in to Dartmouth and credits the growth of her passion to the Women in Science Program internship she had during her freshman year. T h e Wo m e n i n S c i e n c e Program is geared toward female underclassmen as a welcoming introduction to the breadth and depth of Dartmouth’s STEM fields. Freshmen and sophomores perfor m research under the guidance of faculty members in certain fields, ranging from
computer science to physics. They also have the opportunity to be paired with an upperclassmen mentor who has expertise in the major of their interest. T h i s y e a r, S l a u g h t e r i s continuing her work in the physics lab that she found through WISP, where she makes atmospheric models of stars. She plans on gathering more spectrographic data that can be used towards her project during her astronomy Foreign Study Program in South Africa this winter. Even though she has had such success in her field, she still acknowledges the various setbacks that women may face as STEM students. “With STEM, the discrimination is more inherent — it’s almost like built into the system,” she said. “A lot of time, the issues we face as women face are not necessarily issues that other people think they are creating. Someone could be
explaining something to you that you already know well, and you’re just like, ‘That’s not what I was asking for, but thank you anyway.’” Slaughter’s advice to combat this problem? “Don’t be afraid to speak up,” she said. “If the question that actually gets answered is not the question that you had originally asked, let that person know.” At Dartmouth, with the various research programs available, classes, mentorship opportunities and the sheer passion that students have, it is clear why women are not afraid to pursue careers in traditionally male-dominated fields. However, it is important to note that though the gender gaps in STEM have narrowed over the years, they have still not fully been eliminated. I urge my fellow ladies to continue to put our innate capacities for success towards good use, regardless of discipline. The world could surely use our help.
MIA ZHANG NACKE/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
MIRROR //7
Boys Will Be Boys ... and Supreme Court Justices STORY
Helen Horan
In the wake of the polarizing Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh Ramirez was evidence of a culture to the U.S. Supreme Court following of contempt towards women. In multiple credible allegations of terms of the protection of women’s sexual misconduct, this week’s right to bodily integrity, she feels Mirror theme of gender falls at things have definitely gotten worse. an tremendously relevant time. There are parallels between Many students and faculty were Anita Hill’s allegations of Supreme largely disappointed, creating Court Justice Clarence Thomas increased urgency for continued during his confirmation and Ford’s campus discussions around sexual accusation, with both prompting assault and the proper treatment FBI investigations. of survivors and accused alike. “ [ T h e F B I ’s p r o b e i n t o According to a poll of Dartmouth’s K a v a n a u g h w a s ] a s h a m campus by the website College investigation in which witnesses Pulse, 68.9 percent of student who wanted to come forward were respondents believe Kavanaugh ignored. The FBI literally did not should not have been confirmed. return their phone calls, and they For national context, a recent were not interviewed,” Orleck said. Washington Post poll found that “When I used to teach the Anita Hill 51 percent of those surveyed and Clarence Thomas hearings in disapproved of Kavanaugh’s my modern US history class and in Senate confirmation, compared to my women’s history class, I would 41 percent who approved. Rather always point to it as a turning point unsurprisingly, a miniscule percent ... Now, I would have to say it was of women at Dartmouth supported a turning point then and that we confirmation (4.5 percent), while have gone backwards,” she said. the number of men supporting the She also predicted the repeal of confirmation was almost five times Roe v. Wade: “The estimates are that of women at 19.8 percent. that abortion will be illegal in 22 Nonetheless, more than half of men states in the next 18 months to two opposed confirmation, and around years,” she said. Orleck pointed out a quarter responded “not sure.” that just a few days ago, Planned Student Assembly expressed Parenthood unveiled a new plan disapproval of K avanaugh’s for an “underground railroad” for confirmation in their email to the women seeking abortions. entire campus, titled “Dr. Ford: If Kavanaugh’s confirmation We believe you,” referencing does indeed lead to the overturning Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine of Roe v. Wade, the victory for Blasey Ford. It reminds students to pro-life supporters will be a shallow “take note of the ways we contribute one, hinging on the dismissal of to a society where survivors of women’s claim of sexual assault sexual assault feel systematically and the desperation of a party that silenced.” The College Democrats is increasingly anti-women. The also echoed the importance of right to abortion will be threatened hearing and believing survivors in by a man who is under a cloud an email addressed to the student of suspicion for attempted rape. body. The organization encouraged As certain men who believe they people to act on their “obligation deserve immunity from accusations to survivors” of sexual assault at the polls “[The FBI’s probe into sit haughtily on and vote for our Supreme c a n d i d a t e s Kavanaugh was] a Court and in our that support sham investigation n a t i o n’s O v a l their values. Office, the power in which witnesses As an of the patriarchy A m e r i c a n who wanted to is palpable. historian, and come forward were Entitlement as a woman, is re al l y wh at h i s t o r y ignored.” this entire case professor boils down to. Annelise Kavanaugh HISTORY PROFESSOR O rl e c k w a s ver y well may s o m e w h a t ANNELISE ORLECK be innocent surprised by ( u n fo r t u n at el y, the outcome false accusations and spoke about the hearing as a of sexual assault against men do troubling representation of where happen), and if he is, the mark we currently stand as a country. on his name is unfortunate and “It was another sign that the unfair. But still, what strikes me the political moment we are in is one most about the hearing is the way that is marked by cruelty,” she said. in which Kavanaugh reacted — Orleck believes the treatment of adolescently and impudently — as
MIA ZHANG NACKE/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
if this whole case was a big pointless burden that blocked his steady climb to the top. The appointment of an entitled and politically controversial man, assaulter or not, erodes at the legitimacy of what is supposed to be our nation’s highest legal institution. I went to a small independent high school in the Washington, D.C. area, not unlike a 16-year-old Brett Kavanaugh did during the early 1980s. The schools nestled in the woody suburbs of Maryland and Virginia belong to a tight constellation of private institutions which breed high-achiever s. Growing up in a predominantly white enclave just outside the district, I understand the area’s private school life and the privileged culture that accompanies it. The elite D.C. high schools remind me of mini-Dartmouths: microcosms of privilege and power. The students are incredibly intelligent, hard-working and deserving of a great education; but still, it is wealth that drives the success of these elite, politician-producing, supreme-court-justice-making prep schools. I admit I am not unfamiliar with the beach week tradition Brett Kavanaugh alluded to in his now infamous calendar, the heavy drinking and adolescent feelings of invincibility at Bethany or Rehoboth beach. Yet my experiences were always safe and happy; I cannot relate to Christine Blasey Ford, only sympathize. Nonetheless, I have witnessed privileged abuses of power, prominent Washingtonian families and glorification of partying, all of which helped produce a proud, drunk (and allegedly violent), young Brett Kavanaugh. K avanaugh’s sense of
entitlement stems from his time both at an old-boys high school and in a fraternity at Yale University, an elite institution not dissimilar to Dartmouth. Accounts of heavy drinking and unruly behavior during college, bolstered by an allmale space with a toxic ethos, were undeniably a part of the accusations against him. One question is whether the creation of entitled, powerful and aggressive men like Kavanaugh is still happening, and whether it happens here at Dartmouth. Paulina Calcaterra ’19, who is the executive chair of Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault, believes elite (or Greek) systems can sometimes be responsible. “[They are] complicit in making it harder to prevent harm because the norms that are harmful are just baked into everything we do,” she said. She believes harm is certainly individual; however, culture plays a part. “Even if the individuals who now are in them don’t necessarily agree with those social norms, we can’t fully divorce them because [these spaces] have been constructed on that basis,” she said. To be clear, the discussion is not at all about the majority of male students; we are talking about individuals who already have predispositions toward violence or arrogance, and how fraternities and elitism can bring out these malicious qualities, thereby making sexual violence a problem. Dartmouth is unbounded in what it offers students: endless resources, financial support and a phenomenal education. And most people leverage those opportunities toward creating a unique self and a
meaningful life. Still, there are those who inadvertently let the privilege Dartmouth provides guide them toward egotism or vile behavior. I believe that those who abuse power and perpetuate sexual misconduct are one-offs. Yet it would be wrong to completely dismiss the elite culture that exists at this school and how it could potentially nurture problematic individuals. Fortunately, Dartmouth is making prog ress. Calcaterra referenced Movement Against Violence facilitations, documentary screenings and events hosted by houses about raising awareness as examples of normalized and engaging conversations about s ex u a l v i o l e n c e p reve n t i o n . Interestingly, according to the College Pulse survey, 43 percent of men in Greek life at around 50 universities supported the confirmation, yet only 11 percent of affiliated men at Dartmouth overall support Kavanaugh, showing the liberal tendencies of the College’s fraternities compared to others in this country. Calcaterra thinks most people at Dartmouth have relearned many harmful norms that the Supreme Court still perpetuates. However, she is hopeful that a group of Dartmouth leaders would have made a different decision. Similarly, Orleck notes Dartmouth has entered a new era. “[The College] has come a long way unlike the Senate Judiciary Committee,” she said. At a time like this, it is fruitless to fight over what did or did not happen. Instead, students and community members should let this debate ignite an urgency to create a safe culture here at Dartmouth and beyond.
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To Stand In Our Own Shoes PHOTO
By Divya Kopalle